How to Tie a Cat's Paw
Connect a swivel to a double line with the Cat's Paw, a proven knot.
Also referred to as an Offshore Swivel Knot, the Cat's Paw is an
effective and easy knot to use when attaching a monofilament double line
to the ring of a heavy-duty swivel. Start by taking your double line
and placing it through the eye of the swivel. Then make a half turn of
the loop.
Fold the loop back over the double line and hold both sides of the
loop open, leaving enough room to flip the swivel back through the loop.
Start passing the swivel through the opening you've created. You'll
want to pass the swivel through the loop more times if you're using
light line and fewer times with heavy line. When using 50-pound
monofilament, five loops will suffice. If you make too many loops the
knot will be difficult to cinch and wont sit correctly.
Once you've made a sufficient amount of passes through the loop with
the swivel, lubricate the mono with some saliva and begin to draw the
Cat's Paw tight.
Slowly tighten the knot using two hands. Pull the swivel with one hand and the double line with the other.
The finished knot is very strong because the stress is distributed along multiple wraps instead of a single pulling point.
Story and photos by
Steve Dougherty.
